In entrepreneurship and in corporate America much is made of the “mission” of the firm. The mission explains the corporate focus and principal objective of the firm. Unfortunately, the mission statement is frequently written and then ignored. Equally problematic is the executive who puts his personal ambition and recognition ahead of the mission.
An excellent example of people who understand mission are the guards at the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier in Washington, DC. This story was sent to me by several people today, the anniversary of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington , DC , our US Senate/House took 2 days off in anticipation of the storm. On the ABC evening news, it was reported that because of the dangers from the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment.
They respectfully declined the offer, 'No way, Sir!' Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a service person. The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930.